Chapter 5

Over the next several days, Selene kept seeing the russet colored wolf every night outside her bedroom window, mesmerized by it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull her gaze away from it, tempted to go outside a few times just to be closer to the wolf. It somewhat unnerved her how deep of a connection she had with a dangerous animal, knowing the wolf could devour her for a snack if it wanted to. Still, somehow Selene knew it wouldn't hurt her, though she didn't know how.

It was a feeling, a sixth sense.

It was a cool September evening, the sun just setting on the horizon, which didn't happen often in Forks. It had rained earlier on in the day and then the sun broke through the thick clouds, making a rainbow form in the sky. Selene had gone outside with her camera, loving photography, and snapped a few pictures to put in her scrapbook she kept. She wasn't sure why she had it, maybe to remember Forks because she planned on leaving as soon as she graduated from high school.

Of course, she hadn't told Charlie yet.

The man had been through enough with Bella to last a lifetime and the last thing Selene wanted was to cause him more misery. He'd already lost one daughter, she would stick around until he healed from Bella's absence. The wedding had taken a lot out of him and Selene refused to add to his pain, just wanting to do what she could to ease the torment.

Her thoughts changed gears as Jacob Black entered her mind, Selene instantly feeling the guilt devouring her. She'd been so cold toward him and didn't understand why; he hadn't done anything wrong besides love someone who clearly didn't love him back. Why had she dismissed him like that? Selene had NEVER been cold toward anyone in her life and she'd finally had Jacob Black within reaching distance, only to push him away.

It made absolutely no sense to her.

Sighing heavily, Selene decided she needed some air as she flipped on a baby blue fleece sweatshirt, zipping it up, wearing a pair of blue jeans with white tennis shoes. She had on a long sleeved white shirt beneath that had a V shaped neckline, her hair pulled up in a messy bun. She hated how it got tangled because it had natural loose curls throughout it. Grabbing her keys, cell phone and camera with the case –she didn't want to chance getting caught out in the rain without protecting her most prized possession-, Selene headed downstairs and out the front door. She could smell rain in the distance and sighed, the cool breeze blowing over her as dusk began settling in.

This was her favorite time of day, when the sun was just disappearing, though right now the sky was a mixture of different colors. Blue, indigo, pink, orange, yellow…it was truly beautiful. She knew it would be even more beautiful on the beach, though that was all the way down in La Push…a good twenty minute drive.

"You shouldn't be out here at night." A deep voice sounded behind her.

Selene jumped about a foot in the air and whipped around, staring back into the dark eyes of Jacob Black. She didn't hear him walk up or anything, wondering where on earth he came from. Her eyebrows scrunched together in thought, trying to calm her racing heart down because it felt like it would fly out of her chest.

"I'm in my yard, what's so dangerous about that?" She retorted, though the coldness had diminished from her tone, trying to at least be civil towards him. "What are you doing here?"

"Let's just say things go bump in the night around here and I want you to be safe." Jacob replied, walking toward her until he was standing by her side, both of them staring out into the woods. "How've you been?"

"Fine, same as usual. You?" Selene decided being polite was the best thing she could do, especially after what happened the last time they spoke. If Jacob wanted to do small talk, she was all for it, his voice once again sending shivers throughout her body.

"Same old."

Jacob didn't know what to say to her, knowing there was so much he had to tell her, but didn't have a clue where to start. He couldn't just come out and say 'oh by the way, I shift into a wolf on a whim and I imprinted on you, which basically means we're soul mates and you're going to have my puppies someday.' Somehow, Jacob knew that wouldn't turn out well, especially since Selene didn't even know shape shifters and bloodsuckers existed. Jacob snorted, shaking his head, wearing a simple black beater with tan cargo shorts that went just above his knees, sneakers on his feet.

Selene noticed what he was wearing and shook her head, knowing he was probably going to catch pneumonia if he wasn't careful. Hell, the last time she'd touched him, he felt like he was blazing, knowing he had a fever. Still, he didn't look the least bit sick and she couldn't stop thinking about it, knowing a regular person that hot would be in the emergency room. Jacob Black was definitely different, one of a kind, and Selene wondered what the hell Bella could've been thinking to choose Edward Cullen over him.

"What are you thinking about?" His mouth was right by her ear, inhaling her scent, which was completely different from Bella's. It was a mixture of lilacs and honey, the smell intoxicating him, though Jacob knew it was because of the imprinting.

"You don't want to know." She murmured, feeling his hot breath on her ear, her senses reeling as she clasped her hands in front of her. Her camera was safely secured in the case beside her, the only thing separating her and Jacob from being closer. "What about you?"

Jacob smirked, feeling how nervous she was, which intrigued him to say the least. He didn't sense fear, just nervousness and something else he couldn't quite pinpoint. "I asked you first." He retorted in a deeper voice, wondering why she wasn't looking at him. "Selene…"

Her name rolled off of his tongue in a fine caress and Selene suddenly did a full body shiver, wrapping her arms around herself. "I gave you an answer, you just don't like it." She said, closing her eyes momentarily because his scent was relaxing, soothing.

Just having Jacob this close to her made Selene feel safe, like nothing could ever hurt her. It was stupid, she knew it because Jacob Black wasn't hers and probably never would be. He would be pining for her sister for the rest of his life, which hurt her because he deserved better than Bella. If he would just give her a chance, Selene could make him happy like she always wanted to, having been in love with him since Bella first brought him to the house.

Of course she'd seen Billy Black around before Bella even entered the picture; he was one of Charlie's best friends.

"Hmmm fair enough I suppose." Jacob grunted, wondering if he was annoying Selene because she kept staring straight ahead, not looking at him. He wondered why she wouldn't look at him when she talked, a frown suddenly marring his handsome face. "Am I bothering you? Cause I can go if you want me to…"

"No you're not bothering me." She quickly said, feeling really awkward at the moment, and shoved her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt.

"Are you sure? Because you can't even look at me when you talk and that's usually what a person does when they're having a conversation with someone." He pointed out, watching as different emotions flitted across her face, his curiosity burning even more.

Selene shrugged it off nonchalantly, scuffing her shoes in the grass. "I've always been this way." She murmured softly, wondering why Jacob even wanted to talk to her in the first place. Why was he suddenly showing interest after all this time? "And to be fair, you didn't answer my question either."

"What question?" Jacob looked confused, watching Selene roll her eyes, even though he could only see the side of her face because she wouldn't look at him.

He was starting to get irritated and finally took her upper arm, gently but firmly turning her until she faced him. Selene had lowered her head, suddenly interested in her shoes and the ground instead of staring in those deep dark eyes. Reaching a hand out, Jacob slowly lifting her chin with his strong hand, still holding her in place, which felt like his hand was literally searing through the thick material, warming her even more.

She tried pulling away from him, but it was no use and before Selene knew it, she was staring into those deep dark brown eyes that had haunted her dreams at night and thoughts during the day. Jacob's hearing was fantastic and he could literally hear her heart pounding a furious tattoo against her chest, wondering why she was so nervous around him.

Did he scare her that much?

Or was it something deeper that she hid well?

All questions vanished from his mind the moment those deep seeded jade eyes locked with his, the color completely hypnotizing him and it felt like his feet were super glued to the earth below. Jacob knew instantly he had indeed imprinted on her because it felt like his entire world was spinning out of orbit, the only thing holding him in place was this beauty before him. A beauty he had no idea existed because he'd been so wrapped up in Bella.

Jacob was officially the blindest man on the planet.

Is this what Sam felt like every time he looked at Emily? Is this what imprinting felt like all the time? Did Jared and Quil feel this intense for their imprints Kim and Claire?

Granted, he knew full well that Quil wouldn't feel this way for a two year old until she grew up, which confused Jacob even more. How did imprinting work exactly? According to Sam's thoughts, he would be anything and do anything for his imprint, which was standing right in front of him. Who would've thought it would be Bella's half sister Selene?

He was so lost in thought and Selene wondered what he was thinking, seeing so many emotions cross his face and eyes. Eyes were windows to the soul, Selene firmly believed that and she actually felt her breathing quicken at the intensity she saw in them. She wasn't scared of Jacob Black, but the feelings surfacing inside of her was almost too much to take. She couldn't move an inch away from him though, just wanting to be as close to him as possible.

If it felt like this just looking into her eyes, Jacob could only imagine what it would be like to feel her lips against his. "Selene…" He finally said her name, this time huskier, his tone dropping a few octaves as it rumbled from his chest.

"Jake…"

She could see his head slowly lowering as he towered over her, feeling his arm snaking around her waist to press her closer to him, feeling the heat from his body once again. He was scorching and causing heat to flood through every part of her body, warming her up instantly, the cold wind having little effect. Was he really going to kiss her?

Selene's hands pressed against his chest, their bodies so close that a piece of thin paper couldn't come between them, his smell radiating all around her. Selene snaked her small pink tongue out to wet her suddenly dry lips, Jacob making her mind grow fuzzy the closer his lips came to hers, her heartbeat increasing to the point where it felt like a jack rabbit. Their foreheads pressed together and Selene felt feverish, her eyes drifting shut as their noses touched next, knowing what was to follow.

However, before their lips could fully connect, headlights flashed in the driveway, signaling Charlie was home.

"Shit." Jacob cursed, instantly releasing Selene and put some much needed distance between them, wondering what the hell he was doing.

Had he completely lost his mind, all sense of reality?

Selene blinked, wondering what came over Jacob and suddenly the harsh realization crashed over her, tears instantly swelling in her eyes. Of course he would push her away, he was still in love with Bella after all. Selene's heart completely crumbled as the pieces fluttered from her chest to her stomach, slowly taking a step back from him, snatching her camera case from the ground.

"Selene!" Charlie called out, heading to the backyard, knowing that's where she spent most of her time lately since it was beautiful weather in Forks. They didn't get it often, mostly rain, though the past few nights there were actually stars in the sky. "You out here, Selly?"

Jacob knew he had to leave before Charlie spotted him, remembering the order from Sam not to let them know he was keeping watch. Of course, Sam didn't know that Selene had already spotted Jacob in his wolf form on several occasions throughout the past couple of nights, honestly not minding it. His heart broke though at the sight of a few tears escaping her eyes, knowing she probably thought he was rejecting her.

"I'll come back." He promised in a quick whisper and vanished without a trace in the woods, Selene watching him make the escape.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? He'd come back, what could he possibly want from her that he hadn't already taken? She had nothing left to give him and that just broke her heart even more, more tears flowing. Charlie was coming and he was going to know she was upset, Selene had to think of something fast, her back turned to the house as she kept staring into the woods in bewilderment.

"Selly, are you okay?" Charlie asked, walking up to her, frowning at the sight of her tears. "What's wrong pumpkin?"

"Nothing, I'm fine. I was watching a sad movie and it kinda got to me, reminded me of mom…" She lied smoothly, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her sweatshirt, not wanting to upset him. "I'm fine, I promise Charlie."

Charlie smiled and bent down to kiss the top of her head, a few inches taller than her, clad in his police uniform. "If you're sure, are you hungry?" He asked, watching her turn around to face him with a smile on her lips. "Uh oh, what did you do?"

"I made you dinner, I'll go warm it up and we can eat it while watching some sports." She loved baseball, having the same healthy addiction for it as her father, which Charlie secretly loved because Bella despised them. "Come on, I know you'll starve if you don't eat soon."

Charlie chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they both walked inside the house. "You know your old man too well, Selly."

"I know."